baetlett



(No Model.) 5 SheetsSheet 1.

E. C. BARTLETT.

SEAL LOOK.

No. 398,371. Patented Feb. 26, 1889.

Fz'yi Wit/z eases Eli-aluminuom i e N pnsns, PholwLilhngmphanWashinglufi, u c.

5 Sheets Sheet 3;

(No Model.)

B. G. BARTLETT.

SEAL LOCK.

39 ,371. Patented Feb. 26, 1889 Invantor m'znessesx (No Model.) 7 5Sheets-Sheet 4.

E. G. BARTLETT.

SEAL LOCK.

N0. 398,371. Patented Feb. 26, 1889.

j ventar 6 M (WSW 1% 007%. M M

'(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

E. O. BARTLETT.

SEAL LOCK. 398.371. 88

- llllllllil Witnesses Inventor m @Lml. V M w gmwd mw N. PETERS,Phowulhogvh hev. Washinglcn. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD C. BARTLETT, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR TO J OHN L. MCCAGITE,OF SAME PLACE.

SEAL-LOCK.

1 SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,371, datedFebruary 26, 1889. Application filed February 10, 1888. Serial No.263,574. (No model.)

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

a citizen of the United States, residing at Omaha, in the county offl)ouglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and usefulImprovementsin Seal-Loeks, of which I script-ion below in connectionwith. the draw- 3e it known that I, EDWARD (f. BARTLETT,

l l l l l l t the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawings.

In an application heretofore filedby me-to wit, application Serial No.260,0S7-l have shown and described aseal-lock containingimprovementswhich I have made in such (1 eviees. Further experience has led me tothe devising of important additional improvements, which are hereinshown and are below described.

One of the main purposes of the'present mgs.

Figure l is a face view of a portion of the door, and also a portion ofthe adjacent wall, having my improved locking and sealing mechanismapplied thereto, the parts being shown by full lines in the positionoccupied when the door is locked in place and the ha'sp and seal coverbeing shown in dotted lines in the open position. liig. 2 is a face jview from the insideof the hasp or latch arm.

Fig. 3 is a face viewof the automatic lock or dog for the hasp,detached. Fig. at is a section "of the seal-holder detached.

shall not only fasten a door, but shall also seal it in such manner thatall of the movements or operations, save that of inserting the Q sealinto the seal-holder, shall be automatic.

Another purpose is to provide a locking 5 andsealing device of such anature that the door can move from its original normal position withoutso varying the relation ofthe hasp to the staple of fixed fastener as toeffeet the sealing devicethat is to say, of such nature that the doorcan drop more or less from its original true position vertically, (it

being well known that such doors as these,-

when subjected to severe strain and usage, are apt to yield downwardvertically,) and yet remain operative- I The door in this case can alsoyield horizontally without affecting the sealing device-that is, canmove a limited distance from and toward the staple or fastener withoutthrowing the knife or sealcover out of proper position.

The invention relates, further, to providing the hasp or latch arm withan automatic lock or latch of an improved nature.

The invention also relates to providing a seal-holder with a cover whichwill be so guided andregnlated in its movements that it shall alwaystend to take the closed position-that is to say, normally tend to coverthe seal-hold er.

The invention also relates to other matters, which will be fullyunderstood from the de- 011' the line y 1 Fig. 2. Fig. is a face viewFig. 6 is asec tion on the line .2 .2 of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale.Fig. 7 is a section on the line mm, Fig. 1, also enlarged. Fig. 8 is aface view illustrating, by means of full and dotted lines, several ofthe successive positions occupied by the parts as the door approachesthe closed position. Fig. 9 is a face view showing, by full and dottedlines, the several positions occupied by the parts according as the dooris higher or lower relatively to the staple or fastener. Fig. 10 is aface view showing, by full and dotted lines, the several posit-ions ofthe parts according as the door is jarred or jolted from or toward thestaple. Fig. 11 is a section transverse to that in Fig. 6, showing theparts in the positions occupied when they are moving to the closedposition. Fig. 12 1s a similar section showing them in the positionoccupied when'opening. Fig. 13 is a face view of a modified form of thedevice. Figs.

view details of the device in Fig. 13.

In the drawings, the portion of the door shown is represented by A, anda part of the 14,15, 16, 1'7, and 18 show in section and face with meansfor cutting or marring the seal with a fixed fastener, a, with which thelatch is adapted to engage. This fastener may be of any of numerousforms without departing from the essential features of the invention.

The door or sliding part A is provided with a seal-holding device with acover therefor,

and with means for automatically looking it (the door) to the aforesaidfixed fastener, and these parts are so constructed and related to eachother that the seal-cover normally tends to assume the closed positionand cover the seal-holder.

The seal-holder, the cover-,and the. knife need not be herein describedin detail, inasmuch as they are fully illustrated and de scribed in myaforesaid other application, although there are matters of improvementtherein which will be below set forth. As in my earlier construction,the knife is secured w t e ea re n o h said i mate re "c'ted to theswinging latch insuch way that t e knife is caused to mar or cut theseal when thedoor is being opened. Thesealholder and the seal itself arestationarily secured to the door A, while the other parts moverelatively thereto; butin this respect there can be an inversionoftheparts, and the-knife can. be made stationary while the seal is carriedpast it. c v I The seal-cover is indicated. by B it having a. centralopeningor frame-like part, b b b If, the opening at the center beingclosed by a glass, 1). v This glass is secured not in the ordinary waythat is, by cementbut by positive metal fastenings. (Shown at in.) Themetal part of the cover has rabbets at m, and after the glass has beeninserted the metallic fasteners m are forced into thesaid rabbets, and,if necessary, are secured by solder or in any other equivalent manner.These maybe supplemented, if desired, by cement or oth er suitahle'materialapplied along the edges of the glass, for th e purpose ofmaking a thoroughlytight joint to prevent the admission of water.

The seal-cover is held in. place by a pivot, 0, about which it can. rockbetween certain limits. This is effected by means of stops at d d v onthe seal-holding plate, they lying in the path of the edge I) and of theflange Z)". When the seal-cover is turned in one direction, the edge I)strikes the stop (I, and when it moves in the other direction theflange 1) strikes the stop (1. The seal-cover is counterweigh'ted bymeans of the arm B, extending from the pivot C in the direction oppositeto said cover. It is either carried out far enough to have its center ofgravity sufficiently far from the pivot or it is weighted to an extentsufficient to overcome the weight of the seal-cover.

when theseal-cover is in its outermost position and the stops 1) d arein contact, the center of gravity of the part B is not allowed to reach.the vertical line through the axis about which the parts move.Therefore, as

soon as the hand of the operator is Withdrawn,

the cover innnediately moves back to the closed position. As a result ofthis construction and arrangement of the parts, the interior of theseal-holder is always protected, and snow, rain, ice, or dirt are notliable to get access, so that the knife and the other parts within canbe kept from corrosion.

I prefer to so construct the arm B that it shall not only act as acounter-weight for the seal-cover, but, moreover, so that it shall au- 7tom atically engage with the fixed fastener and cause the locking of thetwo parts A A To accomplish this additional purpose, it is pro videdwith a hook or catch, B which, as shown, is of the form of an elongatedbackward and downward extending hook. The forward edge, if, is shaped toact as a cam, and when the door is pushed toward the wall A the catch isthrown up as soon'as said edge I)? impinges upon the fastener a. Theother sideof the hook has an edge, also inclined, so that it shalleffectually engage with the fastener a.

On reference to Fig. 8 the movements of the hasp and the other parts andtheirrelative positions at different times will bereadily understood.The full lines indicatethe position of thewall, the door, shame latch asthe door is moving toward the fastener, and the dottedlines indicate thesuccessive positions assumed bythelatch after it strikes the fastener.An automatic catch or hook of this character automatically elevated andcarried down by gravity can be alone depended on under manycircumstances; but on account of the situation of the seal-coverrelatively to the hook part -that is to say, its situation on theopposite side of the pivotI prefer to coinbine with the hook a positiye'fastener. may be of the form shown in my other 'afora said application;but I have made improvements thereon which are herein shown. Thefastener consists, mainly, of a pivoted weighted dog or catch, E, whichis secured to the rear or inner face of the part B. It has a curved orrecessed edge, e, and an edge, e which normally lies inclined to thepath of the dog as the hook passesinto the fixed staple or fastener a.When this edge e strikes against the leg of the fastener, the dog ismoved into the position shown in dotted lines, and continues moving awayfrom its normal position until the nose at 6 passes the leg of thestaple or fastener a, after whichit (the dog) drops into the positionshown byfulllin es in Fig. 1. Then the curved edge 6 lies under the edgeof the staple or fastener, the nose 6 swi nging through arelativelylarge are. At the nose there is a comparatively sharp upwardturn given to the engaging-edge, as shown at e. The dowirward-projecting part of the hook or cate'h B' is somewhat narrower thanthe opening in the staple or fastenera, so that room is allowed betweenit and the legs of the latter fora play of the door towardand from thestaple or fastener a without having any severe strains exerted upon thelatch and sealing devices.

This

' the staple.

Moreover, there is allowed a similar open space above the staple orfastener a, at B when the latch is in the initial normal position, sothat there can be also a vertical play of the door without any danger ofblows or shocks being imparted to the latch-arm by its impinging uponthe staple or fastener a. The extent of this vertical play, and also ofthe horizontal play of the door, can be as great as may be desired,slight variation in the dimensions and conformations of the essentialparts be ing all that is necessary to attain the end de sired, theprinciple of operation remaining the same as that of the devices shownin the drawings. In order to permit the said free space above the stapleor fastener, the whole of the part B is shown as being carried upsomewhat; but instead of this it may be straight and have a suitablerecess formed in its under side. Notwithstanding the movements of thedoor and of the hasp that are thus allowed relatively to the staple orfastener, the dog E is always in engagement with The edge e is carriedinward far enough to have the nose 6 lie adjacent to the inner leg ofthe staple when the door is in the perfectlyclosed position, andthe-edges e c are so shaped, and the dog, as a whole, is so pivotedrelatively to the pivot C, that one part or another of the edge e 2shall positively engage with said leg and prevent an upward escape ofthe hasp.

In Fig. 9 the full lines illustrate what is referred to as the initialnormal position of the hasp relatively to the staple, and the dottedlines indicate the position which the former can assume under an extremevertical displacement of the door. In Fig. 10 the' full lines indicatethe same initial position, and the dotted lines indicate the positionsoccupied under an extreme horizontal displacement, and from a comparisonof these figures it will be seen that the dog always remains in suchrelation to the leg of the staple as to prevent utnvard displacenien t.The edge e of the .dog is an are, or approxin'iatcs an arc, strncl: fromthe pivot c, which holds the dog. The hook B of course, swings aboutthepivot (l, which, it will be seen, is somewhat remote from the pivote. As a result, and notwithstanding the fact that the edge e of the dogis apparently inclined, this edge is positively locked against thestaple whenever the hook. attempts to swing up about the center at (T.

The intermediate dotted lines in Fig. 1- indicate the positions of theparts when the hook is dropping down and the dog E is being pushedforwanl by reason of its inclined edge e striking the leg of ihe staple.

In my said earlierappl ication there is shown a locking-dog having aconvex edge, and hinged below said edge. \Vhile such a constructionpossesses some advantages, 1, for some reasons, prefer to employ adownwardhanging catch or dog with a concave lockingcdge, and yet do notlimit all of the features of this part of the device to the exactposition shown for the hinge or to the exact conformation of theengaging-edge. The expanded part at 6 serves as a weight to allow thedog to tend to assume the proper position under the action of gravity.Moreover, I prefer to pivot the dog or catch E to the hasp at a pointabove the fixed staple or fastener a; but in all of these respects theremaybe variation without departing from this part of the invention.Another improvement in this part of the device is the shield or cover F,extending inward from the inner side of the hook and lying above andaround the locking-dog E. It ex- .cludes water, snow, ice, and dirt, andinsures that the lock shall always be operative. This construction hasthe same advantage as my earlier one over previous locks, which requirethe presence of springs to make them operative. The springs which havebeen in use are liable to not only become rusty and impaired by theordinary conditions to which they are subj ect-ed, but are especiallydisadvantageous when subjected to severe cold, as they are then'easilybroken. No springs are employed atany point in my mechanism. I

The parts B B herein are formed integral, and may be regarded as more orless similar to an ordinary hasp or latch-bar, especially as concernsthe arm B, the portion at B constituting a heel-extension for thepurpose of providing a cover for the seal-holder, and many of thefeatures of my invention can he applied to the ordinary hasps orlatches.

The parts B B ,.considered in relation to the seal-cover, constitute aweighted carriertherefor; but, as concerns the movements of the cover,any suitable weighted carrier can be combined with it if the parts areproperly arrangell to cause said cover to normally tend keep the closedposition at all times.

tofore ljhave had the knife so constructed that it was HPOQSSRTy to forma recess or small chamber in the cover to receive the shoulder when theknife swings upward and inward. In the present easel obviate theformation of such a chamber by forming the top edge of the knife in twoparts,g g-thatis to say, the corners that would otherwise be present areremoved. As a result theknifc is allowed to rock. sufiiciently, but isstopped before the point of it is carried beyond the desired line ineither direction.

By reference to Figs. 11. and 12 it will be seen that the knife isrelated to the seal, and that the latter is supported in the receptaclein substantially the same way as in the said earlier constructimi. Thereis a knifeway at (Z with stops on each side thereof at d, which preventthe seal from yielding downward too far, although it can yield to someextent by rcason of the fact that these stops are at a somewhat lowerpoint than is the support at cl for the edges of the seal. The retainerfor the face of the seal is illustrated at H.- In this construction anovel seal-passage is provided of such nature that the seal can be flTheknife G is of an improved'form. Here- IIO readily introduced by directlypassing it under the retainer H. The passage is formed by removing aportion of the side at d, or forming a slot therein on a line near orbelow 5 the retainer II, there being walls d at one side and d on theother of the seal-receptacle to hold the seal properly. The side wall, dof the seal-cover is carried in far enough to completely close theaforesaid opening, so that not only is the card or seal held properly inplace in the holder, but tampering therewith is prevented, as no accesscan be had after the cover has been brought to place. i I have abovestated that under most circumstances the parts B B are so constructedand so related to the stops Z) and d that the center of gravity of thepart B is never allowed to reach the vertical line through the 'axis ofthe pivot C. There are some circum- 2o stances under which I desire topermit this center of gravity to rest upon said vertical line or at apoint immediately adjacent to it,

so that the hasp can be held in a vertical position, but in unstableequilibrium. This is shown in Fig. 13.

In loading some materials it is desirable to remove the parts B Bentirely from the doorway and avoid their projecting outward, but atthe'saine time have them so held that as 0 soon as any decidedmovementis given to the door they shall fall. Therefore I construct someof my devices with stops at points other than those shown in theabove-described fig ures.

By reference to Fig. 13- it will be seen that the stop is removable, itconsisting of a set screw, (1 which can be inserted into one or theother of a series of threaded apertures, said stop corresponding to thatat d in Fig. 40 5, and others, so far as concerns the limiting of themovement of the hasp. hen in the aperture at 12, it acts to stop thehasp short of the central vertical line. hen inserted at a, it permitsthe hasp to pass the said line a short distance and then stop it. Thisfigure and Figs. 14 i0 18 illustrate a re-enforcement for the pivot-boltC. O O are flanges cast with or secured to the baseplate; or they may besecured directly to the door. They have flaring or partial conesurfacesat 00. The hasp has a boss or enlargement, P, the face 13 of which isfitted to the face 0 of the aforesaid plate. This boss is of theconformation of part of a frustum of a cone, the conical surfacecorresponding to, the surface at 0 and fitting beneath the same. 'VVhenthe hasp is being inserted into place, it is passed longitudinally insuch way that the boss P is introduced between the flanges O O, andafter the two parts have been centered together the hasp is turnedto'bring the parts at 19 under the flanges 0. Then the bolt 0 isinserted and secured to the wall of the car. The flanges O O and theconical boss on the hasp act to strongly brace the hasp and strengthenthe bolt. Any longitudinal or lateral strains upon or movements of thedoor rather than away from it.

hasp result in its tending to move toward the Moreover, the seal-coverand the knife are held more firmly in proper position relatively to theseal-receptacle.

I herein refer to a hasp or latch or latcharm, meaning thereby to beunderstood as referring to the part B, with its hook and a sufficientpart of that portion which lies on the other side of the pivot to makethe part B operative as a latch or hasp. I also refer to aseal-receptacle, by which I mean that part of the device into which theseal of whatever'nature is initially inserted, and also a cover 'orseal-cover, meaning in the particular construction shown the partgenerally indicated by B. The sealing device therefor comprises twoparts, of which one rocks'about a pivot relatively to the other, suchsealing devices, broadly considered, having been con-. structed inseveral ways, the seal in some cases being carried by the stationarypart and in others by the movable part, and. so far as some of thefeatures of the present inven tion are concernedv it is immaterialwhether the seal-receptacle be the movable portion of the device or theseal-cover or knife, or whether the seal-receptacle and cover be bothstationary and the knife alone'be caused to rock and attached to theweighted portion.

Considering the seal-cover .by itself it will be seen that its peculiarfeatures of operation do not depend upon the fact that the arm B is usedto counterweight it, for such counterweighting can be effected in otherways without affecting this part of the invention.

\Vhat I claim is 1. In a sealing device having a seal-cutting knife, alatch-bar provided with an automatically-operating catch, whereby thelatch-bar engages with a-fiXed-fastener when the door is being movedtoward said fastener, substantially as set forth.

2. The latch-bar having a movable knife and an automatic catch adaptedto engage with a fixed fastener and bear against. thesaid fastener onlines transverse to the path of the knife, whereby said latch-barautomatically engages with said fixed fastener when moving toward it,and the knife must be moved automatically at the time when the latch-baris being released from the fixed fastener, substantially as set forth.

I 3. In a sealing device, a latch-bar having a movable seal-coverconnected with it, and an automatic catch whereby the bar engages with afixed fastener when it is being moved toward the latter, substantiallyas described.

4. The latch-bar adapted to be engaged with a fixed fastener and havinga seal-cover; in combination with a seal-holder, a stop for thelatch-bar when the seal-cover is over the sealholder, and a stop whichprevents the latchbar from carrying the seal-cover beyond a limiteddistance from the seal-holder, where'- by the latch-bar always tends tohold the cover over the seal, substantially as described.

5. The pivoted seal-cover, the weighted arm for said cover, and thestops at the ends of the path of the seal-cover, whereby the weightedarm always tends to hold the cover over the seal-receptacle,substantially as set forth.

ii. The pivoted latch-bar having the sealcover at one side of its pivotand the catch or look for said latch-bar arranged on the other side ofthe pivot, substantially as set forth,to act as a weight to hold thecover on the sealholder, substantially as described.

7. The pivoted arm having the seal-co ver on one side of its pivot andhaving the hook B said hook and arm being of greater weight than theseal-cover, in combination with the stops for the arm and seal-coversituated in the path of their travel, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination, with the latch-arm hav: ing the hook B formed withthe cam b and having the seal-cover secured thereto, of the fixedfastener a, arranged in the path of the cam b substantially as setforth.

9. The combination, with the seal-holder formed with the stop. (1 andthe stop cl, of the seal-cover and the weighted carrier for said cover,said cover and carrier engaging with the stop (Z when the cover is overthe seal-holder and engaging with the stop d before the center ofgravity of the carrier reaches the vertical line passing through theaxis about which the seal-cover and carrier move, substantially as setforth.

10. In a sealing device, the combination, with the seal-holder havingthe inclosingwalls (Z 61 and the retainer H, bearing against the outersurface of the seal, of the seal-passage at (1, extended to or below thesaid retainer II, substantially as set forth.

11. In a scaling device, the combination, with the latch-bar, of thegravity-catch having a concave edge adjacent to the staple or fastener,substantially as set forth.

12. The combination, with the latch-bar, of the pivoted gravity-catchsuspended from a pivot above the fastener, with which it cugages,substantially as set forth.

13. In asealing device comprising two parts, of which one rocksrelatively to the other, the combination;- with the rockiug part and thefixed fastener 61, of a gravity-catch suspended below a pivot other thanthe pivot about which moves the said rocking part-of the sealing device,substantially as described.

It. The combination of the seal-receptacle and the cover, of which partsone rocks relatively to the other about a pivot, and a fixed fastenerfor said part, of a gravity-catch pivotally connected to the saidrocking part on an axial line nearer to the fixed fastener than theaxial line of the first aforesaid pivot, substantially as described.

15. The combination, with the sealing de vice and the hasp having apivot, (hand a hook at its outer end, of the gravity-catch pivoted tothe hasp between the hasp-pivot and the outer end of the hook,substantially as set forth. V

16. The combination, with the pivoted hasp or latch arm having a catch,13 to bear against a fixed fastener in one direction, of a movablecatch, E, secured to the hasp and bearing against the fixed fastener ina direction transverse to that aforesaid, substantially as set forth.

17. The combination, with the pivotedhasp having a catch, B adapted toengage with a fixed fastener, of a catch, E, having an inclined edgeadapted to strike the fixed fastener to move the catch while the haspapproaches said fastener, substantially asset forth.

18. The combination, with the hasp or latch arm, of a catch, E, havingthe inclined edge e and the recessed edge 6", arranged substantially asset forth.

19. The combination, with the fixed fastener and sealing devices, of thehasp or arm, adapted when closed to lie above and out of contact withthe fixed fastener, substantially as set forth.

20. The cmnbination, with the seal-holder, the glass cover, and thesupport for the glass, of the metal fasteners m m, secured to theglass-support and engaging with the edges of the glass, substantially asset forth.

21. The combination, with the hasp and its pivot, of the re-enforcingdovetailed or wedgeshaped flanges, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDIVARD C. BARTLETT. Witnesses:

B. W. Sonnnns, H. H. Bass.

